On Wednesday, hundreds of young individuals gathered at a job fair in Toronto, eager to find summer employment at the Canadian National Exhibition.
The CNE announced it received nearly 50,000 applications ahead of its annual job fair, taking place at the Enercare Centre.
This number far exceeds the 5,000 positions available, according to Mark Holland, CEO of the CNE.
“We know how important that first job is … it’s so essential to give them that first opportunity,” he shared with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning, noting that 80 percent of those hired for the summer event are young people.
“Part of our identity is making sure that we give youth that leg up and first opportunities.”
Due to the growing popularity of the job fair, Holland mentioned they are expanding this year to include roles from other organizations like Metrolinx and YMCA as well as additional support services such as resume assistance and free headshots.
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Several young people lined up outside the CNE Job Fair hours before it opened on Wednesday morning in hopes of getting in early to secure a position. (Clara Pasieka/CBC)
The CNE aims to keep expanding the job fair in future years. The organization noted that youth unemployment in the Greater Toronto Area peaked at nearly 17 percent in April this year.
“Expanding this network means not only can we hire more kids but also use this as a platform to provide them resources so they know what they need to do to get that job,” he added.
The CNE indicated that along with its vendors, it is looking to fill hundreds of seasonal jobs including cashiers, retail staff, game attendants, food service workers and guides. The exhibition stated some positions with other companies will last beyond the 18 days of the CNE.
The end-of-summer event starts on Aug. 21 and wraps up on Sept. 7.
<p. Last year's job fair also drew thousands who lined up as early as 5:30 a. m., reflecting high levels of youth unemployment across Ontario.
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Teenagers Anna Tefer, Lydia Tasfaye, Favor Yonas and Nardos Bekle were among those who got in line for the job fair at 5:30 a. m. on Wednesday morning. (Clara Pasieka/CBC)
WATCH | Toronto youth struggled to find jobs last year as unemployment rates soared:<img src="https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1785343250_430_default. jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" loading="lazy"/ The CNE has 5,000 summer jobs to fill. It’s received over 50K applicationsThe CNE has numerous openings but demand has never been higher than now. As CBC’s Greg Ross explains, this summer has posed challenges for youth searching for work amidst soaring unemployment rates. Lydia Tasfaye ,16 , stated their group got there early hoping their chances would improve. “I’m nervous but also hopeful. I know there’s lots of job openings there ,” she shared. Isaac Suthahar ,22 , discussed how challenging it’s been trying finding work with enough hours along with supportive management. He emphasized wanting an opportunity which leaves lasting impressions. “Even if I can’t find a job , it’s about [whether you can] keep pushing and finding something ,” he noted. Favor Yonas ,16 , thought it was beneficial students had chances meeting non-seasonal employers especially those wishing doing school year work. “It’s been really hard ; I’ve been applying since spring. I haven’t gotten any responses. I’ve attended several interviews yet still received nothing ,” she shared. “I’m just hoping this fair gets me somewhere.”
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Youth Share Their Frustrations About Job Market
Krishan Sirigana, an 18-year-old university student expressed his disappointment about how tough finding work has been despite applying for many different roles. “I feel a little disheartened about the results, seeing so many rejection emails,” he said. “I just want to keep trying and hope for the best.” Anna Tefer, a 16-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., described how difficult it is right now to secure employment as “crazy.” “I’ve applied to over 50 jobs and still.. no responses, no emails anything so it’s been pretty hard,” she remarked outside Enercare Centre Wednesday morning. Tefer was among friends who arrived early at 5:30 a. m., eager for any chance they could get since it’s first-come-first-served. “I know there’s a lot of people coming and it’s first-come-first-served,” she explained.WATCH | Toronto youth struggled to find jobs last year as unemployment rates soared:<img src="https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1785343250_430_default. jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" loading="lazy"/ The CNE has 5,000 summer jobs to fill. It’s received over 50K applicationsThe CNE has numerous openings but demand has never been higher than now. As CBC’s Greg Ross explains, this summer has posed challenges for youth searching for work amidst soaring unemployment rates. Lydia Tasfaye ,16 , stated their group got there early hoping their chances would improve. “I’m nervous but also hopeful. I know there’s lots of job openings there ,” she shared. Isaac Suthahar ,22 , discussed how challenging it’s been trying finding work with enough hours along with supportive management. He emphasized wanting an opportunity which leaves lasting impressions. “Even if I can’t find a job , it’s about [whether you can] keep pushing and finding something ,” he noted. Favor Yonas ,16 , thought it was beneficial students had chances meeting non-seasonal employers especially those wishing doing school year work. “It’s been really hard ; I’ve been applying since spring. I haven’t gotten any responses. I’ve attended several interviews yet still received nothing ,” she shared. “I’m just hoping this fair gets me somewhere.”
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